Seemingly Obsessed with Wranglers - But Have Never Owned One... Help!!

[Glen722]

I had a 4Runner that I really liked in the mid 1990s and thought I’d like a similar vehicle. So I watched YouTube videos and read this forum for months before renting a JL Rubicon from Outlaw Jeep in Moab and having them lead my wife and me on Fins 'n Things. That’s all it took. Soon after, I bought my first Jeep at 66. Whether in a neighborhood Halloween parade, in the Arizona desert or on a Wyoming mountain road, I have never had more fun or enjoyed a vehicle more in my life. I only wish I bought one half a century ago.

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[WontonJLUR]

Seems you got an awesome deal! Good deals look to be ~11% off MSRP. Did you buy at the end of the model year or have some other method to get ~ 20% off?

$45K was the range I had thought it would be to get what I wanted when I originally started looking a couple years ago before I bought my car. Seems that MSRP has gone up close to 10% since then for basically the same vehicle, which is why the used prices are still so high. I was just looking at a 2018 JLUR and the local dealer's asking price was $45K on their website! It was fairly well equipped and offered a CPO warranty, but it's 3 years old already. Ugh.

It was a factory order, ordered a 2019 at the beginning of 2019.

There are some dealerships that are really willing to make deals happen, there's info about them in various threads on this forum but I don't exactly remember where, it's been over 2 years since I went anywhere near the order threads lol

 

[ekometti]

About two years ago when I was just starting to look at jeeps, I test drove a 2016 JKU Sahara with only ~ 34K miles and was nicely optioned out (alpine/gps/dual tops/special edition). It did seem like the condition was a touch rough around the edges for how newish it still was (chip in hardtop, scratches, etc) and I was just starting to look at jeeps so I passed on buying it. Ironically, I wish I bought that one. Two years later, I have yet to see another example as nice as that one for the same or less money - even two years later. I could have almost driven it for free.

Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I don't think a used JK is going to necessarily convince the family that a Jeep is a good idea or be indicative of what you'll experience with a JL - it's comparatively pretty rough around the edges, doesn't ride as well unless the owner has a bunch of money into the right suspension setup, and the interior is, well, junk. Not to mention the super dated drivetrain if you're going with an automatic, the new 8 speed box with the 3.6 almost feels like a sporty twin clutch transmission with how fast it reacts. The JL is a totally different vehicle and is honestly the best Wrangler jumping off point if you're coming from a regular car or a luxury brand. From a comfort standpoint especially, but also from an "is this thing actually worth the money in 2021" standpoint for a daily driver.

I've ridden in many (on and off trail) and can respect the hell out of a properly set up JK, but I never liked them inside or out enough to own one. 2018 rolled around and the JL changed that and I'll never be without a Wrangler. Just my two cents. If you're looking to build a rock crawler and trail machine, sure, but if the word "family" comes up at all I would go straight to JL.

I don't hold the "buy a crappier thing to make sure you like it" opinion though, different strokes for different folks. I'm of the opinion that you like something, test and buy the thing you like the first time around, not a worse version of it and wish all that effort and money you went through just went towards the nice thing in the first place.

Thats more or less what I did. I've always wanted a JEEP but ... Same old reason or excuse. Once the 2018 JL came out I leased one, loved it! I went to a different vehicle for various reasons but recently went back to a JEEP. I Love the JL!

 

[Shibadog]

I’d shop around and go for a new one. You may have to travel to get a deal, but it will be worth it. Used Jeeps are bringing “new” and even “new +” prices, and that’s just nuts. Worst case, find a decent dealer and ORDER one.

 

[Ratbert]

Funny you should mention that, I have reserved a 2017 Rubicon through Turo for a weekend trip to the mountains starting this Thursday. Unfortunately, the weather is predicted to be stormy on Thursday with severe weather possible, including large hail so I'm wondering if I should cancel that rental. It will be my first time using Turo and I really don't want to deal with hail damage on someone else's car.

Rented one in the Keys last summer. Apparently I drove through a mud puddle and the guy was freaking out that we had off roaded it. No clue how that would even be possible down there.

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